TRYON – Tryon’s Howard Street downtown could have a new sewer line and new pavement by the end of the year as Tryon Town Council decided to start the project soon.

 

Tryon Town Council met Sept. 19 and heard from town manager Zach Ollis about the project.

 

The town has been planning the project to replace the sewer line underneath the street and to resurface the road that goes beside Stott’s Ford for about a year. The project was part of the town’s streetscape plan, with other repairs, including downtown sidewalks and the paving of Peake Street being completed already. The delay was because the town wanted to save money and do the project with town employees, but because of other projects, the town decided to contract out the project.

 

“We originally intended for our crews to do the job in house to save some of that money,” Ollis said. “We’re balancing several large-scale projects, including the Pacolet River restoration as well as others, so we decided to contract it out.”

 

During the September meeting, council approved a contract with Trace & Company to do both the sewer line replacement and the asphalt. Since the sewer line is aged, the town didn’t want to resurface the road without upgrading the sewer line, in case the line was to break in the future.

 

Trace has estimated replacing the sewer line at $78,185 and paving East Howard between Trade St. and Grady Avenue at $52,604, according to the contract. The total project will cost the town $130,789.

 

Ollis said he is meeting with Trace next month and is hoping to start the project in October and be done by the first of the year.

 

The town bid out the project, with Trace being the lowest bidder.

 

Commissioner Crys Armbrust said he’s happy the town is going forward with the project.

 

Commissioner Bill Ingham asked how the town is going to pay for the project.

 

Ollis said the money was placed in this year’s budget. He said the town just wanted to do the project in house in order to save more money.

 

Ollis said the town didn’t want to spend all the money it had budgeted for the project, but other projects just didn’t line up like they’d hoped.